Refracta is a Linux distribution based on Devuan GNU+Linux (a systemd-free fork of Debian), designed primarily for home computer users and also for use as a system rescue and recovery disk. It provides a simple and familiar layout using the Xfce desktop. Other desktop environments and additional software packages are available from the Devuan package repository. Besides providing a Linux distribution on a live CD, the project also develops useful tools, such as refractainstaller, refractasnapshot and refracta2usb which allow users to customize the installation and create custom live CD or live USB images.

The first beta of Linux Mint 2.1 has been released: "This release is based on [Linux Mint 2.0] Barbara. It is the first release candidate for Linux Mint 2.1 'Bea' which will be released on the 20/12/2006. Bea comes with improved artwork and better branding. The Ubuntu branding was removed and replaced with artwork made for Linux Mint. We received a lot of suggestions from the community and we decided to include the following new software in Bea: Beagle, which makes it easy to find stuff from the desktop; NetworkManager, which manages your wired and wireless connections, OpenOffice.org Impress, thanks to which you can now see Impress and PowerPoint presentations...." Read the release notes for further details. Download: LinuxMint-2.1-BETA-023.iso (686MB, MD5).

Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution whose goal is to provide a classic desktop experience with many convenient, custom tools and optional out-of-the-box multimedia support. It also adds a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, and a web-based package installation interface. Linux Mint is compatible with Ubuntu software repositories.

The Linux Mint team has released a new version of the project's Ubuntu-based editions. The new version, Linux Mint 19, is based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and receives five years of security updates. New changes in version 19 include the Timeshift operating system snapshot tool, the update manager now installs all security updates by default, the software manager is able to seamlessly work with both Deb and Flatpak packages, and there is a new welcome window to help users get started setting up the operating system. "Thanks to Timeshift you can go back in time and restore your computer to the last functional system snapshot. If anything breaks, you can go back to the previous snapshot and it's as if the problem never happened. This greatly simplifies the maintenance of your computer, since you no longer need to worry about potential regressions. In the eventuality of a critical regression, you can restore a snapshot (thus cancelling the effects of the regression) and you still have the ability to apply updates selectively (as you did in previous releases)." Further information and screenshots can be found in the project's release notes for its three editions (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-19-cinnamon-64bit.iso (1,854MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-19-mate-64bit.iso (1,902MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-19-xfce-64bit.iso (1,806MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes).

The Linux Mint team has released two new editions of the project's Ubuntu-based series. The project's new offerings include editions for the KDE and Xfce desktop environments. Both new releases are part of the project's larger 18.3 release which already features Cinnamon and MATE editions. Along with support for Flatpak packages and a new snapshot tool called Timeshift, Linux Mint ships with a tool called System Reports which can gather key information to help trouble-shoot problems. "When a crash occurs, information is now gathered and a crash report is generated. The System Reports tool lists the crashes and is able to generate stack traces for them. When developers aren't able to reproduce a bug, that information is very useful. It's always been very difficult for non-experienced users to produce core dumps or stack traces. This tool helps a lot with that. In addition to crash reports, the tool is also able to show information reports." These pieces of information can be forwarded to the project's developers to help them fix bugs. Further information on Linux Mint 18.3 can be found in the release announcements (KDE, Xfce). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.3-kde-64bit.iso (2,077MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-18.3-xfce-64bit.iso (1,746MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes).

The Linux Mint team has announced a new update to the project's 18.x series. The new version, Linux Mint 18.3, is a long term support release and will receive updates through to the year 2021. The new release features an updated software manager which makes it easier to install third-party applications and should be noticeably faster. This release also includes Flatpak support and the software manager can work with Flatpak packages. "Popular software applications such as Spotify, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Earth, Steam or Minecraft are now featured and very easy to install. The user interface looks more modern and its layout is inspired by GNOME Software. It's simpler, more consistent than before and it makes the application look much cleaner. The Software Manager is now also much lighter and faster than before. It no longer uses Webkit, browsing categories and apps is almost immediate, and it launches 3 times faster than before. The backend was ported to AptDaemon and the Software Manager now runs in user mode. Consequently you do not need to enter any passwords to browse applications, and if you enter a password to install or remove an app." Further details can be found in the project's release announcements for the Cinnamon and MATE editions. Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso (1,811MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-18.3-mate-64bit.iso (1,834MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes).

The Linux Mint team has announced the availability of a new development snapshot for Linux Mint. The new testing snapshot, Linux Mint 18.3 Beta, features several overhauled applications. The software manager and backup utilities in particular have been given a new look. Linux Mint now makes it easier to install third-party software, such as Google Earth and Steam, and Flatpak packages can be installed through the software manager. The new beta also features operating system snapshots using Timeshift. "Linux Mint 18.3 features Timeshift, a tool dedicated to system snapshots. Timeshift is the perfect companion to the Linux Mint Backup Tool. It doesn't save your personal data, it saves everything else. Thanks to Timeshift you can create backups of the operating system itself. You deleted system files by mistake? You can recover them. You upgraded to a newer release and something isn't working well anymore? You can go back in time." Further information can be found in the project's release announcements for the Cinnamon and MATE editions. Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.3-cinnamon-64bit-beta.iso (1,815MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-18.3-mate-64bit-beta.iso (1,836MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes).

Clement Lefebvre has announced the availability of a new release of Linux Mint. The new version, Linux Mint 18.2, is the latest update in the 18.x series and is built upon a base of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. The new release will be supported until 2021 and is available in four editions (Cinnamon, KDE, MATE and Xfce). Linux Mint 18.2 features improvements to the X-Apps cross-desktop applications with improved short-cuts coming to the Xplayer video player and line sorting coming to the Xed text editor. The login screen is now powered by LightDM running the Slick greeter and includes support for HiDPI. The update manager has been tweaked to help users find their ideal balance between security updates and system stability: "The Update Manager received many improvements. It still has the same mission and tackles the same issues as before (keeping your computer safe, providing bug fixes and protecting you from regressions) but it presents things slightly differently. Policies and level definitions were refined to better filter updates depending on their level of impact on the operating system and without worrying about their origin." Further information and screen shots can be found in the project's release announcements (Cinnamon, KDE, MATE, Xfce) and in the release notes (Cinnamon, KDE, MATE, Xfce). Download (SHA256, signature, pkglist): linuxmint-18.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso (1,598MB, torrent), linuxmint-18.2-kde-64bit.iso (1,912MB, torrent), linuxmint-18.2-mate-64bit.iso (1,659MB, torrent), linuxmint-18.2-xfce-64bit.iso (1,571MB, torrent).

The Linux Mint team has announced the availability of a new development release of their popular, Ubuntu-based distribution. The new development snapshot, Linux Mint 18.2 beta, is provided in Cinnamon and MATE editions. The MATE edition features the MATE 1.18 desktop environment, built with GTK+ 3 libraries. The Cinnamon edition features the Cinnamon 3.4 desktop. Both editions feature new versions of the project's X-apps, cross-desktop forks of popular GNOME applications. Improvements have also been made to the distribution's update manager: "The Update Manager received many improvements. It still has the same mission and tackles the same issues as before (keeping your computer safe, providing bug fixes and protecting you from regressions) but it presents things slightly differently. Policies and level definitions were refined to better filter updates depending on their level of impact on the operating system and without worrying about their origin. Most updates are now level 2. Application updates which do not impact the OS are level 1. Toolkits and desktop environments or libraries which affect multiple applications are level 3. Kernels and sensitive system updates are level 4. Level 5 is extremely rare and not used by default." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcements (Cinnamon, MATE) and release notes (Cinnamon, MATE). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.2-cinnamon-64bit-beta.iso (1,747MB, SHA256, signature, torrent), linuxmint-18.2-mate-64bit-beta.iso (1,811MB, SHA256, signature, torrent).

The Linux Mint team has announced the availability of two new editions of Linux Mint 18.1. The two new editions, KDE and Xfce, feature Mint's X-Apps, desktop applications which are designed to look and act the same across multiple desktop environments. The update manager has been updated to make kernel updates more visible and installing additional language support has been improved: "The Language Settings checks are more exhaustive than before. In previous versions, full support for a particular language included its language packs and localized versions of popular applications such as Thunderbird and Firefox. This now includes a lot more packages such as dictionaries, help packages, fonts, and optional components which depend on the list of applications you installed." The Xfce edition ships with the Xfce 4.12 desktop environment while the KDE edition ships with KDE's Plasma 5.8 desktop. Further information, including system requirements, can be found in the project's release announcements (KDE, Xfce). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.1-kde-64bit.iso (1,936MB, SHA256, signature, torrent), linuxmint-18.1-xfce-64bit.iso (1,712MB, SHA256, signature, torrent).

The Linux Mint team has announced the release of an update to the project's 18.x branch. The new version, Linux Mint 18.1, is available in two editions (Cinnamon and MATE), in 32-bit and 64-bit builds. The new release offers Cinnamon users a new screensaver that displays more information and provides media controls even when the screen is locked. On computers which feature accelerometers, the Cinnamon desktop can now rotate when the device's orientation changes. Both editions offer upgrades to the X-apps programs with the Xplayer media player now offering the ability to blank screens not being used to display video. Also, the update manager can display a list of available kernel versions with recommendations. "The screensaver in Cinnamon 3.2 was redesigned and rewritten from scratch in Python. Not only does it look better, but it's also much faster, more responsive and more customizable than the old one. Background slide shows set in Cinnamon continue to play in the new screensaver. On laptops the battery power is shown, so you can see if you're running low without having to log in." Additional information can be found in the project's release announcements (Cinnamon, MATE). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-18.1-cinnamon-64bit.iso (1,726MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes), linuxmint-18.1-mate-64bit.iso (1,788MB, SHA256, signature, torrent, release notes).